


To Be Loved

by HonkBeep



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Married Couple, Married Life, Mild Hurt/Comfort, No Plot/Plotless, Non-Sexual Intimacy, One Shot, Past Abuse, Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, like very mild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 12:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29874795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HonkBeep/pseuds/HonkBeep
Summary: “ Mai loved when Zuko held her and kissed her like this. When he put his arms around her it felt like a physical expression of the words, “I love you. I trust you. I know you would never do anything to hurt me.” And it was so rare for Zuko to trust anyone, and especially be so open about it, Mai just felt so special in his arms. She loved Zuko, and she loved being loved by him. It was the best feeling in the world.”Literally plotless one shot where Mai and Zuko are cuddly. There’s some nice feels in there, it’s nice :)
Relationships: Mai/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	To Be Loved

**Author's Note:**

> i originally wrote this for an idea i had where someone tries to assassinate zuko by stabbing him in his sleep, except for zuko is sleeping on the opposite side of the bed as usual because he and mai were cuddling, so the person accidentally stabs mai instead!! and so mai dies and zuko has to deal with the grief and the guilt but he also has to be there for izumi but he also has to be a strong leader and oh the angst and pain ahhhh!!! 
> 
> so i thought that idea was super good but it was way more than i could chew and i scrapped it. I did have this cute little scene tho and i liked it so im posting it as a one shot! yall are welcome to steal my fic idea tho as long as you give creds >:)
> 
> as is the case for all my fics i just shat this out in my notes app and am posting it with no edits or anything so i don’t accept constructive criticism but i do love comments so tell me what u like about it should you feel so inclined i would really appreciate it :)
> 
> tw///
> 
> it gets a little spicy for a minute there but nothing too serious

Zuko sat at the vanity scrutinizing his face. He tilted his head. Now that his hair had grown out he really did look like his father. He used his hand to cover his scar. He looked like if Ozai had his hand overhis face. He frowned. He moved so that only the unscarred half of his face was visible in the mirror. Half of the Phoenix King stared back. Zuko scowled. He refused to look like his father. If he could just find a more realistic way to see what he would look like without his scar, maybe he wouldn’t look so much like him.

He took a handheld mirror and held it so its edge split his face in two and the unscarred half was reflected, making him perfectly symmetrical. He frowned again. 

He relaxed slightly when he felt familiar hands on his shoulders. “You’re nothing like your father, Zuko.” Mai assured him, as if she had read his thoughts. “I hate looking like him, though.” Zuko complained. Mai wanted to comfort him and assure him that he bore no resemblance to his disgraced father, but honestly... he did. Mai hadn’t seen the former Phoenix King since the end of the war, and before that, it was only occasionally. But she had seen portraits and statues of him all her life, and Zuko was his spitting image. 

She tried a different approach to cheering him up. “You know, Zuko, your father may have been a horrible person, but he wasn’t ugly.”

“What?” Zuko turned to look at her in confusion. Did his wife just imply that his father was a dilf? 

Mai slowly moved from behind him to his side, tracing a finger across his face. “I’m saying that there’s worse people to resemble. You have a very handsome face. With kissable lips.” She leaned forward and planted one on his mouth. Sometimes when Zuko was down about something, there was no way to talk him out of it, and Mai figured there were definitely worse things to distract him with than sex. 

They pulled apart and Zuko gave her a look. Mai was afraid she’d messed up, that her husband wasn’t going to respond to her advances. But then, Zuko leaned into the kiss, reaching up and holding on to her shoulders. He pulled her in front of him and she straddled his lap, facing him, without breaking their kiss. His hands wandered her body, and he smirked as he grabbed a handful of her butt. The other hand held on to her shoulders, and he surprised her by standing up, carrying her, and setting her on the counter in front of them to keep kissing her, harder, deeper. 

Mai gave a low chuckle as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled them even closer together, and wrapped her legs around his waist. Her plan was working. He pressed his forehead to hers and smiled down dangerously at her in response to her challenge. 

He hoisted her up off the countertop and carried her across the room to their bed, kissing her the whole time. They both tumbled onto the mattress and continued their display of affection, smiling playfully.

Mai loved when Zuko held her and kissed her like this. When he put his arms around her it felt like a physical expression of the words, “I love you. I trust you. I know you would never do anything to hurt me.” And it was so rare for Zuko to trust anyone, and especially be so open about it, Mai just felt so special in his arms. She loved Zuko, and she loved being loved by him. It was the best feeling in the world. 

Feeling moved by her husband’s embrace, Mai decided to reciprocate his affections. She fought with him for dominance for a second, both competing to be the more forceful kisser, but eventually Zuko relented and allowed Mai to show him how much she loved him. 

He basked in it, eyes closed and face turned up; a silly little smile across his face as she peppered him with kisses. She felt his body relaxing into their embrace and his breathing slowed down as he was content to just lay there and receive her love. She felt his heartbeat slow too, and his body grew warm like how it did when he was about to fall asleep. 

She couldn’t tell when exactly he slipped into sleep, but she didn’t care. Looking at his perfect face, her heart just swelled with love and pride. Not only had she successfully distracted him from his troubles, but she had provided him with such comfort and contentment that he felt safe enough to fall asleep within her grasp. 

For most lovers, such a thing would be mundane and typical, but for Zuko it was special. Even though the war was over, his father was imprisoned and he was safely surrounded by people who loved him, he was still plagued by anxieties and insecurities left over from his troubled past. He knew he was safe, but he had been hurt so many times that he could not just let his defenses down. 

Even with Mai, his lover, the person he trusted with his body and his intimacy, he still found it hard to be vulnerable. Usually, he would hug her and kiss her and tell her he loved her, and then he would roll over and fall asleep with his back to her and the covers pulled over his shoulder, always sleeping with his scarred side down. 

But here he was, open and content to fall asleep under her ministrations, not a care in the world; and Mai was happy for that. 


End file.
